Posted by: tammy johnson 08-17-99 9:53 AM
Boca Negra
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/3 C sugar, divided
1/2 C bourbon
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces, at room temp
5 large eggs, at room temp
1 1/2 T all purpose flour
White Chocolate Cream (recipe below)
Position a rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350F.
Lightly butter a 9 inch round cake pan and line bottom with parchment or waxed paper; butter paper.
Place prepared cake pan in a shallow roasting pan and set aside until needed
Put chopped chocolate in a medium bow, and keep close at hand.
In a 2-quart saucepan, mix 1 C of sugar and bourbon and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a full boil.
Immediately pour hot syrup over chocolate and stir with a rubber spatula until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth.
Piece by piece, stir butter into chocolate mixture, making certain that each piece of butter is melted before you add another.
Put eggs and remaining 1/3 C of sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until eggs thicken slightly.
Beating with whisk, add eggs to chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended.
Gently whisk in flour.
Pour and scrape batter into prepared pan, running your spatula over top to smooth it.
Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come about 1 inch up sides of cake pan.
Bake cake for exactly 30 minutes, at which point top will have a thin dry crust.
Remove cake from its water bath.
Wipe pan dry and cover top of cake with a sheet of plastic wrap.
Invert cake onto a flat plate, peel off parchment, and quickly but gently invert again onto a serving platter; remove plastic.
Serve cake warm or at room temp with chilled white chocolate cream.
White Chocolate Cream
12 oz. white chocolate
1 C heavy cream
1/4 C bourbon (or more to taste)
Prepare white chocolate cream at least 1 day in advance.
Put white chocolate into work bowl of a food processor fitted with metal blade or a blender container.
Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan until small bubbles form around edge of pan.
Pour cream over chocolate and process until completely smooth.
Add bourbon, taste and add up to a tablespoon more if you want.
Turn into a container with a tight fitting lid and chill over night.
Cream can be kept covered in fridge for a week or frozen for up to a month.
If frozen, thaw overnight in fridge.
Source: Laura Brody in "Baking With Julia"